This post is a list of the best UX design tools I have found for testing the user interfaces we build, and better understanding our users. I intend to update this post regularly, so if you have a suggestion, please contact me.

Usability Testing

Lookback is bar far the best and most flexible tool for usability testing I have found.

I have tried a lot of different tools for recording usability testing over the years and Lookback is my current preference. It supports in-person and remote sessions. It also allows you to run both facilitated and unfacilitated sessions.

One feature I particularly like is that it makes it easy to edit highlights or lowlights from your sessions into short, punchy videos that you can use to present to stakeholders.

Eye Tracking

Real Eye allows you to carry out eye-tracking with nothing more than a webcam. No special equipment required.

Eye tracking always used to be expensive and time-consuming, making it unrealistic for anybody but the biggest of my clients. However, more recently, things have begun to change thanks to advances in technology.

For example, facial recognition allows Real Eye to carry out eye tracking studies with nothing more than a laptop’s webcam. That means you can carry out eye tracking studies remotely, either by sending participants an automatically generated link or by getting Real Eye to recruit participants for you.

However, it is not just the advances in facial recognition that has opened up opportunities in eye-tracking. Machine learning is also enabling some pretty impressive innovations.

Eye Tracking Prediction

It would seem that eye-tracking prediction software is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and there are now several players in the sector.

Eyequant uses machine learning to predict the results of eye-tracking on any design you upload. They claim an accuracy rate of 80 to 90% when compared to eye-tracking studies.

Although Eyequant is not as reliable as eye-tracking, it does allow you to simulate the kind of results you would see from a large study. That is something out of the reach of many UX teams.

Although Eyequant is less expensive than a large scale eye-tracking study, you cannot call it cheap. The cost per report varies depending on the number you signup for, but it can cost as much as $20 per review.

Eyetato is a free tool for the mac that claims to predict the results of eye-tracking studies.

A free option I came across recently is a Mac app called Eyetato that claims to do very similar things to Eyequant. However, unlike Eyequant, Eyetato is a bit vague about the data upon which they have based the app, and it’s level of accuracy. That said, if budget is an issue, this might be an option.

Feng-Gui is a reasonably priced eye-tracking predication app that claims a 92% accuracy.

Ultimately nothing beats carrying out real eye-tracking studies, and even these only tell part of the story. That said, these tools can help validate, and hopefully justify, a design direction to sceptical stakeholders and that makes them worth considering.

Quantify Usability

Maze provides hard numbers for things like time to complete task or misclick rates.

I have written before about how usability should be one of the key performance indicators we measure to track the effectiveness of our websites.

However, to make that happen, we need an easy way of gathering hard data on the ease-of-use of our websites. Fortunately, Maze makes this possible by allowing us to periodically run un-facilitated testing that monitors metrics such as time to complete a task, misclick rates and the percentage of users who fail to complete a task.

Card Sorting

I have not been particularly impressed by any of the tools I have used over the years to run card sorting exercises. Most of them are just damn ugly, and the results are hard to understand for anybody but an experienced UX researcher.

Probably the best I have used is ‘Optimal Sort’, which is one of a suite of tools provided by Optimal Workshop. However, I cannot help but think there is a gap in the market for something better.

One tool that has been recommended to me is Miro. Although not a dedicated card sorting tool, it could definitely be used as such because of its ability to replicate a collaborative workshop environment, post it notes and all!

Although not a dedicated card sorting tool, Miro looks like a good option for running remote card sorting sessions.

Recruit Participants

One of the biggest challenges with usability testing and user research is the recruitment of participants. Although some services like Usability Hub, Userzoom and Real Eye will help you recruit participants, that is no help if you do not intend to use their service.

That is where Ethnio comes in. Ethnio allows you to intercept people using your website and ask them to participate in a user research exercise. It handles everything from calendar invites to paying participants. But, most importantly, it will help with the prequalification of potential participants so ensuring you end up with precisely the right kind of user.

Not that Ethnio is your only option. You could also go to a company who find users that meet your requirements for you. One such company is User Interviews. They have a pool of over 125000 vetted participants from over 500 occupations. Best of all, they can get you participants in only a few hours. However, similar claims are made by Testing Time, so you have shortage of options.

All in One Solutions

Of course, many of us are seeking to integrate user research and testing across every aspect of our development workflow. That means we want to do everything from usability testing or card sorting to benchmarking and surveys. In such situations, it makes sense to find one tool that will provide all of these features.

One such tool is Userzoom, although there are others such as User Testing. These tools are ideal for enterprise customers who want a one-stop shop that they roll out organisation wide. However, you will often need an enterprise sized budget and you are not always getting the same level of refinement as you would get from more focused apps.

Visualise Your Research

Evolt allows you to visualise the user experience by creating personas and storyboards .

Of course, carrying out all of this user research is not particularly useful if stakeholders are not referring to it regularly. That is where Evolt may help. Evolt allows you to visualise your data about your users as storyboards or personas.

I can’t say I have used this tool myself as with my design background; I am perfectly capable of creating a persona design. However, if you lack the confidence with design packages, this looks like an interesting option for creating professional looking visualisations.

Let’s Discover Need Tools Together

So there you have it, the best user research and testing tools I have found. However, I am sure this is just the tip of the iceberg. As I said at the start of this post, I would love to hear your suggestions so I can update this list regularly.

See also:

User Experience Advice, Straight to Your Inbox

Every two weeks you will receive advice on user experience, digital strategy and conversion optimisation straight to your inbox. You can unsubscribe in one click, and I will never share your email address.

Blog Updates

You can follow all my posts by subscribing to my RSS feed or signing up to my email newsletter above.

Community Updates

About Paul Boag

Paul Boag is a user experience consultant, author and speaker. He helps not-for-profits such as the European Commission, UCAS and Doctors Without Borders adapt to the digital world. He also works with many sizeable commercial clients. He refocuses them on user experience and engaging with a new digitally savvy audience. All the while pursuing his not-so-hidden agenda.